Investigators examine a small plane that crashed at Nashville International Airport early in the morning on Oct. 29. / Larry McCormack, The Tennessean

by Walter F. Roche Jr., The Tennessean

by Walter F. Roche Jr., The Tennessean

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A pilot who crashed his small plane on a runway at the Nashville International Airport and went undetected for hours last year was legally drunk, according to an autopsy report issued by the state Medical Examiner.

The report concludes that 45-year-old Michael Callan of Windsor, Ontario, died from multiple blunt force and thermal injuries. The report states that his blood alcohol level was .081, just over Tennessee's limit of .08.

The Oct. 29 crash is still under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. Jay Neylon, who is leading the investigation, said his team was still gathering data to determine how long the plane was circling the airport before it crashed.

Callan, who had filed a flight plan indicating he was making a 30-minute hop from Windsor to Pelee Island in Lake Michigan, apparently crossed the border undetected and flew south, then circled the Nashville airport for several hours before crashing on the runway.

The charred remains of the plane and Callan were not detected until 8:45 a.m. on Oct. 29, when a pilot spotted the debris and reported it to airport officials. The runway had last been checked at 2 a.m.

According to the autopsy report, Callan suffered multiple fractures and massive internal injuries.

"A battery is embedded beneath the skin of the right upper arm," it continues.

The mystery of the case deepened when law enforcement officials learned that Callan had listed Taylor Swift as his next of kin. Swift's publicist said the singer did not know Callan and no other evidence has emerged that the two had any connection at all.

Callan was piloting a single-engine Cessna 172R owned by the Windsor Flying Club, of which he was a member. The aircraft was completely destroyed. He was declared dead at the scene.

According to the autopsy report, Callan was positively identified by fingerprint comparisons performed at the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations.